Ezekiel 26–27

26TH CHAPTER

Judgment on Tyre

¹On the first day of the month in the eleventh year, the Lord spoke his word to me. He said, ²“Son of man, Tyre said this about Jerusalem: ‘The city that was the gateway for the nations is destroyed, and its doors are swung open to me. I’ll get rich now that it’s ruined.’ ³So this is what the Almighty Lord says: I am against you, Tyre. I will bring many nations against you as the waves on the sea rise. ⁴They will destroy the walls of Tyre and tear down its towers. Then I will sweep up the dust and turn Tyre into a bare rock. ⁵It will become a place by the sea where people spread their fishing nets. I have spoken, declares the Almighty Lord. It will become a prize for the nations. ⁶The people in the villages and on the mainland will die in battle. Then they will know that I am the Lord. 

⁷“This is what the Almighty Lord says: From the north I’m going to bring King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon against you, Tyre. He is the greatest king. He will bring horses, chariots, war horses, many people, and many troops. ⁸He will destroy the villages on your mainland. He will set up blockades, put up dirt ramps, and raise his shields against you. ⁹He will direct his battering rams against your walls, and he will cut down your towers with his axes. ¹⁰He will have so many horses that their dust will cover you. The noise from the war horses, wagon wheels, and chariots will shake your walls when he enters your gates. He will enter as people enter a conquered city. ¹¹With his horses’ hoofs he will trample all your streets. He will kill your people in battle, and your strong pillars will fall to the ground. ¹²His troops will loot your riches and take your goods as prizes. They will destroy your walls and tear down your delightful homes. They will throw your stones, wood, and soil into the water. 

¹³“I will put a stop to your noisy songs, and the music from your harps will no longer be heard. ¹⁴I will turn you into bare rock. You will become a place to spread fishing nets. You will never be rebuilt. I, the Lord, have spoken, declares the Almighty Lord. 

¹⁵“This is what the Almighty Lord says to Tyre: The people who live on the coast will shake with fear when they hear about your defeat. They will groan when your people are wounded and slaughtered. ¹⁶Then the princes from the coast will come down from their thrones. They will remove their robes and take off their embroidered clothes. Dressed in terror, they will sit on the ground. They will tremble constantly and be shocked at you. ¹⁷Then they will sing this funeral song for you: 

Tyre, you famous city, you have been destroyed. 

You have been shattered by the sea. 

You and your people ruled the sea. 

All your people terrified those who lived by the coast. 

¹⁸Your defeat will make the people who live by the coast tremble. 

Your end will terrify the islands in the sea. 

¹⁹“This is what the Almighty Lord says: I will turn your city into ruins like cities that have no one living in them. I will bring the deep ocean over you, and the Mediterranean Sea will cover you. ²⁰I will bring you down with those who descend to the grave to join the people of long ago. I will make you live below the earth among the ancient ruins with those who go down to the grave. You will never return or take your place in the land of the living. ²¹I will turn you into a terror, and you will no longer exist. People will look for you, but they will never see you again,” declares the Almighty Lord. 

27TH CHAPTER

A Funeral Song about Tyre

¹The Lord spoke his word to me. He said, ²“Son of man, sing a funeral song about Tyre. ³Tyre is the city at the entrance to the sea. It is the merchant to the nations. Say to Tyre, ‘This is what the Almighty Lord says: 

Tyre, you used to brag about your perfect beauty. 

⁴Your home is the sea. 

“ ‘Your builders made your beauty perfect. 

⁵Your builders made all your boards from pine trees on Mount Hermon. 

They took cedar trees from Lebanon to make a mast for you. 

⁶They made your oars from oaks in Bashan. 

They made your deck from pine trees on the shores of Cyprus. 

It had ivory set in it. 

⁷Your sails were made out of fine embroidered linen from Egypt. 

They were like your flags. 

Your awnings were violet and purple. 

They came from the coasts of Elishah. 

⁸People from Sidon and Arvad used to row you. 

Your own skilled people were your sailors. 

⁹Master shipbuilders from Gebal went inside you to caulk your seams. 

All the ships on the sea and their sailors 

docked alongside you to trade with you. 

¹⁰People from Persia, Lud, and Put were soldiers in your army. 

They hung their shields and helmets inside you. 

Their victories made you look good. 

¹¹“ ‘People from Arvad and Helech^awere guards all around your walls. People from Gammad guarded your towers. They hung their shields all around your walls, making your beauty perfect. 

¹²“ ‘People from Tarshish traded with you because you were so very rich. They exchanged silver, iron, tin, and lead for your merchandise. ¹³People from Greece, Tubal, and Meshech traded with you. They exchanged slaves and bronze items for your goods. ¹⁴People from Beth Togarmah exchanged horses, war horses, and mules for your merchandise. ¹⁵People from Dedan traded goods with you. You traded with many people on the coasts, and they brought you ivory and ebony as payment. 

¹⁶“ ‘People from Syria traded with you because you had so many products. They exchanged emeralds, purple cloth, richly woven cloth, linen, coral, and rubies for your merchandise. ¹⁷Judah and Israel traded with you. They exchanged wheat from Minnith, baked goods, honey, olive oil, and balsam for your goods. ¹⁸People from Damascus traded with you because you had so many products. They exchanged wine from Helbon and wool from Sahar. 

¹⁹“ ‘Danites and Greeks from Uzal traded for your merchandise. They exchanged wrought iron, cassia, and sugar cane for your goods. ²⁰Dedan traded saddle blankets with you. ²¹Arabia and all the officials of Kedar traded with you. They traded lambs, rams, and male goats. ²²The merchants from Sheba and Raamah traded with you. They traded the finest spices, precious stones, and gold for your merchandise. ²³Haran, Canneh, Eden, the merchants from Sheba, Assyria, and Kilmad traded with you. ²⁴In your marketplace they traded for beautiful clothes, purple robes, embroidered cloth, and many multicolored rugs with woven and twisted cords. 

²⁵“ ‘Ships from Tarshish carried your goods. 

You were like a ship filled with heavy cargo in the sea. 

²⁶Your rowers took you out to the high seas, 

and an east wind wrecked you in the sea. 

²⁷Your wealth, your merchandise, and the goods you sell, 

your mariners and your sailors, 

your caulkers and your merchants, 

your soldiers and everyone else on board 

sank into the sea when your ship was wrecked. 

²⁸“ ‘When your sailors cried out, people on the shore trembled. 

²⁹All the rowers, the sailors, 

and all the mariners came down from their ships 

and stood on the shore. 

³⁰They cried loudly and bitterly over you. 

They put dust on their heads and covered themselves with ashes. 

³¹They shaved their heads because of you and put on sackcloth. 

They cried over you with bitterness and with bitter mourning. 

³²They sang a funeral song for you with loud crying: 

“Who is like Tyre, the city destroyed in the sea?” 

³³Your merchandise was sent overseas. 

You filled many people with your great wealth and your goods. 

You made the kings of the earth rich. 

³⁴Now you are wrecked in the sea, at the bottom of the sea. 

Your goods and your whole crew sank with you. 

³⁵All those who live on the coasts are horrified because of you. 

Their kings are terribly afraid. 

Their faces show their fear. 

³⁶The merchants among the nations laugh at you. 

You have come to a terrible end, 

and you will never exist again.’ ”